Here are 9 tactics to include in your next fundraising campaign.
- Make employees the heroes of your giving campaign. Employees are an important part of any brand. A pre-fundraising internal communications plan will help them understand the campaign and get them engaged in the purpose. Once the campaign starts, share employee stories on social media that connect how foundation support helps them. Provide them with creative tools like Facebook Profile Frames, graphics, gifs and messaging to help them advocate. Encourage employees to share fundraising events online and ask them to leverage their own communities using tools like Go Fund Me and Facebook Fundraising.
- Tap physicians to do their own fundraising too. Physicians and their clinics are where the community connects most with the health system. Allow specific departments to raise funds for their PPE. Engage physician’s families to participate and lead fundraising events, guide them defining the fundraiser’s purpose, tactics and support them in execution.
- Provide purpose for your donors. Offer different tiers of gifts and explain what each tier accomplishes. For example, “For $50 you can provide PPE for a caregiver for a day. For $100, you can provide eye protection like face shields and safety goggles for a caregiver. Or, for $350, you can provide PPE for a caregiver for one week.”
- Reconnect with major donors and business partners to explore sponsorships. Determine if there are any specific equipment or tools that large donors can specifically help purchase. Research shows that people are most likely to donate if they have the details about their gift: who benefits, how much and why it is important.
- Give the hospital board a goal. Hospital and foundation boards are important influencers in a hospital’s financial health. Define a specific item or dollar amount you would like to fund with the board’s giving. Break that goal down to give each member their own personal goal and engage them in donor and sponsor outreach.
- Commemorate donations. A great example of this is Children’s Miracle Network’s paper balloons. During COVID-19, we’ve seen hearts with messages of appreciation and thanks. Use symbols like these for an installation in the community or hanging around the hospital campus.
- Look to special groups for help. Engage local high schools, Scout troops or neighborhood church groups to fundraise on the hospital’s behalf for their community project.
- Think outside of the event hall. Virtual events have quickly risen in popularity for the past few months. Host a virtual fundraising event to support your campaign.
Try a few of these ideas for your virtual event:- Wine tastings
- Digital Happy Hour
- Coffee Talk
- Ask a local shop to do a trunk show, with proceeds benefiting the hospital
- Silent Auctions
- Food truck party
- Pizza Party
- Virtual walk/5K
- Geocaching
- Poker Chip Run
- Say ‘Thank You.’ Most fundraising campaigns have a final Thank You phase that might include tactics like social media shout outs and Donor Appreciation parties. Revisit those tactics to determine if they’re still appropriate and consider including new tactics. Create personal Thank You videos that feature your employees and physicians and share these throughout the campaign. Task team members from throughout your organization to write handwritten notes to donors explaining the positive impact the donation has had one their work.
Need a little help developing your fundraising campaign?
If fundraising during or after COVID-19 sounds like a daunting task, or if you’re worried about the right messaging, brainstorm your Foundations’ fundraising with the strategists at Ten Adams. Contact us.
